POLITICS

Breakout Session “#SpreadNoHate: Sharing Good Practices on Preventing and Countering Hate Speech” provided an opportunity to present suggested recommendations to counter hate speech and cyberterrorism, as articulated during the New York Symposium; continue an ongoing dialogue on hate speech in the media in a different part of the world, with a new set of media practitioners and professionals, as well as new perspectives, opinions, and good practices on how to counter hate speech and cyberterrorism.

The session was moderated by Susan Sachs, award-winning journalist and editor specializing in foreign affairs.

Speakers included Menno Ettema, No Hate Speech Campaign Coordinator, Council of Europe; Wakar Uddin, Director General, Arakan Rohingya Union; Azer Khalilov, Director General, Caspian International Broadcasting Company; Kemal Ilter, Visiting Professor of Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jolene Jerard, Research Fellow and Manager, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research; Raphael Minder, Spain and Portugal Correspondent, the International New York Times.

The breakout session was not limited to the physical walls of the forum venue: people will be invited to join the conversation online, using the UNAOC hashtag #SpreadNoHate, which has already been at the center of global online debates among millions of individuals since November 2015.

The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) launched on 2 December 2015 a campaign against hate speech in the media (traditional media, online media and social media), with senior officials calling for a global mobilization of citizens as foot soldiers in the battle against hate speech.

Points of discussion included What are the underlying reasons behind the surge in hate speech and cyberextremism incidents? What are avenues to address that phenomenon?; What mechanisms are in place to combat hate speech in the media? To what extent can authorities monitor it without restricting freedom of expression and denying the right to privacy?; In view of the Islamic State’s successful use of the Internet to nurture terrorists, should governments have the right to block messages that facilitate violent acts?; Should IT companies crack down on dangerous propaganda? Can that be fully effective?; Where can the line be drawn between censoring hate speech and shutting down political debate? How not to fall into prohibition against dissenting viewpoints?; As part of the global counter-terrorism effort, how important is the combat against hate speech and cyberterrorism?